A new study published in the journal Health Affairs, revealed that Americans have healthier eating habits now than they did at the turn of the millennium.
The authors estimated that these positive changes have staved off a great deal of premature deaths in this country, as well as reduced the incidences of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. This is undoubtedly good news, but the authors of the study still remain cautious regarding overall dieting habits that tend to reflect poor food choices, as well as the gaps in nutritional quality amongst different socioeconomic groups. In essence, the authors believe that Americans are eating better, but not as healthy as they should be.
Researchers from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health explored how the American diet has changed from 1999 to 2012, and how that impacted the rate of premature death in America. They examined 33,800 men and women and found that eating better was associated with 1.1. million fewer premature deaths. In that same time period there were also fewer cases of diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.
They also noted that on a scale of healthy eating from 0 to 110 being the healthiest, most Americans in the study were well below 50. Findings such as these shine light on the necessity of continuing educational practices revolving around nutrition, which should be introduced at a young age to instill good eating habits early on.